Three's a Crowd
by Carol
Summary: Darien, Claire and Alex go on an assignment together. Cat fighting, Darien torture, and D/C shippiness follows.
1. Default Chapter

Three's a Crowd

Three's a Crowd

By Carol M.

Summary: Darien, Claire and Alex go on an assignment together. Cat fighting, Darien torture and a little D/C shippiness ensues.

Rating: PG-13

Tough Love Rating: Not much in this part, but you have lots of Darien torture and some Alex wardrobe torture (you'll see :) ) to look forward to

Spoilers: Bad Chi, The Camp, Den of Thieves, Johnny Apocalypse, Going Postal

Disclaimers: A schmuck named Nietzsche once wrote, " Anything done out of love is beyond good and evil." Now here's thing, I love writing fan fic. So what does that make me?

Author's Note: Don't worry, the next Devil's Silver story will be coming soon, I promise. This is something I came up with after seeing Bad Chi. I found the relationships in that ep really interesting, particularly between D/C (they were flirting people!), A/C (catfight galore), and A/ D (after kicking his ass, she was pretty gentle with him). So I decided to put the three characters together and see what happened. This was originally going to be really short, but it just kind of took on a life of its own. You fic writers know what I'm talking about. Another little tidbit, this story can actually be taken as a kind of prologue to the Devil's Silver series if you pretend that Bad Chi aired before Brother's Keeper. Again that is not what I originally intended, but I found that it might actually be able to work if you want it to, but if not, you can simply look at this story as a standalone. Anyways, I'm babbling. This story takes place about 2 days after Bad Chi. Enjoy folks! 

"Oh yeah, oh right there, Darien, ahhh," moaned Claire softly. "Don't stop, don't stop, oh god it feels so good," she purred.

She felt his hand stroke her even harder, making her putty in his hands. "Oh my god," she gasped.

She turned her head up from the gyno chair and looked at Darien. "Your hands were wasted as a thief," she said.

Darien smiled and continued to massage her sore neck. "So I guess I should take that as a compliment," he said.

"Oh," moaned Claire as she turned her head back down into the chair. "Yes, definitely."

"So you're saying I drive you wild, Keepie?" Darien asked slyly.

Claire scoffed. "Well I wouldn't go that far," she said.

Darien cocked his head to the side. "Yeah, yeah, you can't deny it, you know you want my hands all over your hot naked..."

"Ah excuse me for interrupting, but the Official wants to see the three of us in his office right away," said Alex, who had entered the Keep without them noticing.

Darien looked up at Alex with surprise. "Why the three of us?" he asked.

Alex shrugged. "I don't know, but I think he might have an assignment for us."

"Ah," said Darien as he patted Claire on the back. "Well Keep, I guess we're done for now, but we could always continue later at my place," he said as he flashed a smile.

Claire rolled her eyes and sat up from the counteragent chair. "Don't press your luck, Darien."

Alex looked at the two of them with mild disgust. She tapped her foot impatiently. "Can we go?"

Claire looked up at Alex and gave her a sickeningly sweet smile. "Ready when you are Alex," she said as she got out of the chair.

Claire and Alex walked out the Keep door, followed by Darien, who had decided to take up the air guitar.

A few minutes later the trio joined Bobby and Eberts in the Official's office. 

"People," said the Official. "We have a gun broker becoming very active in the city. He has started selling guns to all the major gun pushers in the city. Now I want the guns gone and the organization destroyed."

Eberts stepped forward, holding a file in his hands. "Sir, if I could make a suggestion,"

"Shut up, Eberts," said the Official.

Eberts pouted and stepped back.

"Hobbes," said the Official.

Bobby looked up at him. "Yeah, chief?"

"I want surveillance on a guy named Jack Roundling. He's the organization's middle man, in charge of distributing the guns to the small time dealers," said the Official.

Bobby looked at him oddly. "Am I going solo on this one, sir?" 

The Official nodded. "That's affirmative, Hobbes. I need Fawkes for another assignment," said the Official as he looked at Darien, Claire and Alex. "Which brings me to you three. Darien, Claire, Alex, you are going to bust the head of the operation." Claire looked up at him with surprise.

"And just how are we going to do that?" asked Darien.

"Bill Palms is the suspected head of this new operation. Intel reports put him at a cabin out in the woods about 30 miles for here. This cabin is suspected to be the center for the whole operation," said the Official. "Fawkes, you're going to get some evidence on this guy, and then you're going to bust him."

Alex cleared her throat. "Sir..."

The Official looked at Alex. "You're going to be his back up, Monroe. And Claire," he said, turning his head to look at her. "You're going to do what you always do and give Darien his shots."

Bobby coughed loudly. "Ah excuse me sir, but why do they get all the action, and I have to sit in the van all day?"

The Official smiled. "Because for your part of the assignment, I need someone to blend in, someone who's not going to tip them off about our investigation. And Mr. Hobbes, you are an expert at blending in."

Bobby smiled, beaming with pride. "Well I wouldn't say expert but.."

"Shut up, Bobby," said Alex.

Bobby gave her a slightly hurt look, but didn't say anything else.

"Sir, why does Claire have to come along? I am perfectly capable of giving Fawkes his shot," continued Alex.

Claire turned to look at Alex, her mouth hanging wide open.

Darien glanced at Alex and Claire, chuckling softly to himself.

The Official looked sharply at Alex. "Because Miss Monroe, you are Fawkes' backup. I want your mind on the mission, not on Darien's mental state."

Claire looked at the floor and smiled to herself.

"Okay people, get to work," said the Official. "The agency SUV has been stocked up with supplies. You should find everything you'll need."

Alex nodded and glanced at Claire and Darien. "We'll meet down at the SUV in 20 minutes, guys," she said. She got out of her chair and walked out of the office.

Claire watched her walk out. "Well, I guess we know who's in charge," said Claire as she stood up from her own chair.

Darien stood up and patted her on the shoulder. "Easy there, Keep, no catfighting allowed," he said teasingly.

"Who's fighting? I am perfect fine with this assignment and working with Miss Monroe," said Claire innocently.

Darien smiled. "If you say so."

"I'm going to the Keep to get some supplies. See you in a little while," said Claire. She glanced at Bobby. "See you in a few days, Bobby," she said as she started to walk out the door.

"See ya, Claire," said Bobby.

Claire waved and walked out the door.

Bobby stood up and hit Darien softly on the shoulder. "You're the luckiest man alive, my friend. Going into the woods with two gorgeous women like that," he said. "Of course, I think your talents are going to be wasted on this little jaunt," muttered Bobby.

"Jealous, Bobby?" asked Darien with amusement as the pair walked out of the Official's office.

Bobby scoffed. "Bobby Hobbes never gets jealous. No, no, you go out there and do your little disappearing act with your two chick assistants. Meanwhile, I'll be in the trenches doing all the scut work. But you know what, I'm going to happily due that scut work because that's my job."

Darien shook his head. "Yeah, well, believe me, somehow I don't think my part of the mission is going to be a walk in the park."

"Fawkes, come on, you got to get a little fired up for the missions. Get a little spirit for the ole Agency team," said Bobby.

"Go team, go," said Darien sarcastically.

Twenty-five minutes later, Darien was pulling the SUV out of its parking space at the Agency. Claire sat shotgun, holding her medical bag in her lap and Alex sat in the back, studying a map.

Darien glanced in the rearview mirror at Alex. "So Miss Navigator, where am I going," he asked.

"Get on the freeway and head south. I'll tell you when to exit," Alex replied.

"Aye, aye, Gilligan," said Darien as he pulled onto the ramp to the freeway.

Darien glanced over at Claire. "How's your neck there, Keep? Did my magic fingers rub all your pain away?"

Claire looked at him and smiled, rubbing her neck slightly. "Actually, it is feeling a lot better, Darien. Thank you for the massage."

"Well I am glad to keep my Keeper happy," he said with a grin.

Alex cleared her throat. "Okay Fawkes, you're going to exit right up there."

"Okay, here we go," said Darien as he turned the car at the exit.

The exit led to a street that eventually turned into a deserted two-lane road. Darien drove down the road in awkward silence. "So are you gals excited about going into the woods?" he asked out of the blue.

Alex sighed. "Oh, I'm just thrilled," she said sarcastically.

Darien nodded. "Yeah, you don't really seem like the nature type," said Darien, glancing over at Claire. "But Keep here, she's like a pioneer woman."

Claire grinned slightly in her seat.

Alex smiled coldly. "I'm sure she is," she said curtly.

Claire turned around, fuming. "Excuse me, Alex but..."

"Girls, girls, can't we all just get along," interrupted Darien.

Claire gave Darien a sharp look. "Fine," she quipped.

The trio once again sat in silence.

Darien sighed heavily. Yep this was definitely not going to be a walk in the park, he thought.

Forty-five minutes later, they had arrived at their destination.

Darien got out of the SUV and stretched, checking out the scenery surrounding them. He looked at Alex, who was still sitting in the SUV, studying yet another map. "Wanna set up camp here?" he asked.

Alex shook her head. "No, we leave the car here and set up camp about a mile and half north. The cabin is about three miles from here, so that will put us right in the middle."

Claire looked at Darien and Alex with worry. "Do you really think it's such a good idea to camp so close to the cabin. What if they get suspicious? We don't exactly look like the camping types," said Claire as she glanced at Alex's high heeled boots.

Darien nodded. "Claire's got a point there, Alex."

Alex rolled her eyes. "Just trust me, it'll be fine. Now let's get the supplies and head out."

"Trust you, just like you trust us, right?" said Darien coldly.

Alex sighed harshly. "Look, do I have to stand here and argue with you two? I outrank both of you and I have more experience in the field," she said firmly.

Darien pulled a heavy bag out of the back of SUV and threw it at Alex, who barely caught it. "Fine Susie, let's do the freakin mission," he said.

"Good," said Alex sarcastically.

"Great," replied Darien with equal sarcasm.

"Wonderful," said Claire in the same tone.

Darien picked up a few bags and handed the lightest one to Claire.

"Okay, I think that's everything," he said after they had pulled all of the bags out of the SUV. "Let's go, girls," said Darien as he locked up the SUV.

Alex picked up her bags and started trail blazing down a path. Darien and Claire followed, walking side by side. Claire noticed that Darien was struggling to carry two bags on his back and two more in his hands. She reached for one of the bags, but he slapped her hands away with the side of his arm.

"Darien, I can take one of those bags," said Claire, who was only carrying her medical bag and the light bag Darien had handed her earlier.

Darien shook his head. "Nope, I got it. I don't want you to hurt your neck again."

"Darien, please, it's fine," Claire replied, grinning.

"Nope, nope, you're not carrying anything else," he said firmly.

Claire laughed softly. "I didn't know you were such a gentleman, Darien," she said.

"Don't let the act fool you," said Alex from up ahead. "He's just doing it so he can get another massage from you."

Darien pouted. "I am not," he said softly.

Claire shook her head and rolled her eyes.

They walked another 15 minutes until they reached a small clearing in the woods.

Alex stopped walking and set her bags down. "I think this place will do," she said, glancing back at Darien and Claire.

"If you say so," said Darien as he set his own bags on the ground.

Claire started to pull the tents and sleeping bags out of the bags. She also pulled out the walkie talkies and the video and audio surveillance equipment, organizing everything into neat piles.

Alex and Darien busied themselves with setting up the two tents they had brought along. Alex set hers up perfectly, but Darien was having a little trouble with his. 

Claire looked over at him, laughing softly in amusement. "Need some help, Darien?" she asked.

Darien scoffed. "No, I am doing just fine, thank you very much." He put the finishing touches on the tent and stood over it, admiring his work. "There we go," he said with pride. His face fell when the tent collapsed a few seconds later.

Claire stifled a giggle, while Alex put her hands on her hips and rolled her eyes. "Fawkes, we don't have time to mess around," Alex said with irritation.

"If you think this is messing around, then you haven't seen nothing yet, Monroe," muttered Darien under his breath.

"What was that?" asked Alex.

"Oh, nothing," he said innocently.

Claire stepped forward and picked up the fallen tent. "Let me help you," she said as she made a few adjustments to the spikes holding the tent to the ground. Darien stepped next to her and helped. In a few minutes, the tent was standing on its own free will.

Darien looked at Claire sheepishly. "Thanks, Keep," he said softly.

"My pleasure," she responded proudly.

Claire picked up her medical bag and placed it in the tent her and Darien had just put up. Then she grabbed a sleeping bag and also placed it in the tent.

Alex picked up another sleeping bag, along with all the technical equipment, and placed it all in the other tent.

Darien glanced back and forth between the two tents. "Okay, who wants some company in their tent?" he asked.

Alex glanced at her watch. "Relax, Darien. We have a good five hours before it'll get dark"

Darien picked up the last sleeping bag. "Yeah, but I want to get settled somewhere, to know that I have a nice, warm, comfy tent to come back to, you know," he said.

Claire stepped out of her tent. "Sleep wherever you want, Darien," she said sweetly.

Darien looked from Claire to Alex, weighing his options. After a few seconds, he looked directly at Claire. "Think you could squeeze me in, Keep?" he asked with a grin.

Claire nodded with amusement. "I think I can manage that," she said as she grabbed the sleeping bag out his arms and threw it into the tent.

Darien nodded, satisfied. He looked over at Alex who was looking towards a small path. "Okay team leader Monroe, what's next?"

A rustling sound startled them. Alex quickly reached for her holstered gun, but Darien stopped her. "Easy, be cool," he whispered.

They could make out four figures walking towards them. They were dressed in army fatigues and one of them had a gun holstered to his side.

Claire looked at Darien with slight panic. He shook his head slightly and put his index finger to his lips.

She relaxed slightly. She was glad that all the incriminating supplies were tucked into the tents, out of sight.

"How you folks doin' today?" yelled the man with the gun as they approached.

Darien waved. "Good, good, how you guys doin''?" he yelled.

The men walked up to them and stopped. "Oh, I can't complain," replied the man. The three other men surveyed the campsite, checking out the agents.

"You folks from around here?" asked the man.

"Oh, we're from San Diego, actually," said Darien. He thought fast and stepped to Claire, pulling her against him. "Me and my wife and sis over there, we wanted to experience the California wilderness, so here we are," he said with a pleasant smile.

The man pointed from where he had come from. "That your SUV we saw back there?"

Darien nodded. "Yep, yep, my little English muffin here bought it for me for my birthday," said Darien as he kissed Claire on the top of the head. "Isn't that right, darling?"

Claire smiled awkwardly. "Yes, honey, it sure is."

Darien pulled her closer to him. "She's so generous that way. What about you fellas? Whatcha doin' out here?"

"Oh, a little hunting," replied the man quickly.

"Ah," said Darien.

The man looked at his three buddies and then looked back at the agents. "Well, we'll let you folks get settled in. It was nice to meet you," he said.

"Oh you too, wasn't it girls?" said Darien as he looked at Alex and Claire. They both nodded. Claire smiled slightly.

"I'm sure we'll be seeing you again," said the man as he and buddies walked away.

Darien continued to hold Claire in his arms until the men were out of sight. "Can I get a kiss, honey?" he asked with a sly smile when the men were gone.

Claire elbowed him lightly in the stomach.

Darien yelped in surprise. "Should I take that as a no?" he asked.

"Yes," she said a little too quickly as she stepped out of his tight grasp.

Alex stepped towards the two of them. "Nice job, Fawkes."

Darien looked at her with surprise. "Wow. Thanks sis," he said.

"Don't push it," she said sharply.

"Got ya," he said quickly. "So I'm thinking those were the bad guys."

Alex nodded. "Yeah. Most hunters don't walk around with a gloc nine millimeter holstered to their side."

Darien looked in the direction the men had gone, down the path that Alex had been eyeing earlier. "Well, let's give them a few minutes and then go get the ole video and verbal intel."

"Sounds like a plan," said Claire as she reached into Alex's tent to get out the supplies.

"Ah, Claire," said Alex. Claire looked up at her from the tent. "

"Me and Fawkes are going alone. You're going to stay here, out of the limelight."

"But what if Darien needs a shot or something happens?" Claire protested.

"We'll be fine. This is just preliminary surveillance, just getting a feel for the land. Darien won't be invisible for long. Beside, if anyone sees the three of us scampering around the cabin, they're going to get suspicious," said Alex.

Darien furrowed his brow, putting on his best puppy dog look for Claire. "As much as I hate to admit it, Keep, I think Alex is right. You'll be safer here and we won't be attracting as much attention."

Claire sighed, looking extremely pissed. "Fine," she said softly as she reached into a bag in Alex's tent and pulled out a gun. She held it out to Darien. "At least take this," she said.

Darien shook his head and pushed the gun away. "Nah, it's okay. I think Monroe has the gun part covered."

Alex bent down next to Claire and pulled out the infamous turtle hat, some microphones and earpieces, and a small video receiver. She tossed the turtle hat at Darien and stuffed the rest of the supplies in her jacket pockets. "Ready to go, Fawkes?" she asked as she got out of the tent.

"Yeah," he replied.

"Wait!" said Claire urgently. She reached into her tent and pulled out two walkie talkies, handing one to Darien. "Take this. Keep me posted."

"Aye, aye Keep," said Darien as he mock saluted her and took the walkie talkie. He looked at Alex. "Let's go," he said. Darien gave Claire a small wave, and then he and Alex started to walk down the path the men had taken earlier, leaving Claire sitting amongst all their supplies.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

Darien and Alex slowly walked down the path, being careful not to make a lot of noise

Three's a Crowd Part 2

By Carol M.

See first part for disclaimers and notes

Darien and Alex slowly walked down the path, being careful not to make a lot of noise. Darien was holding the turtle hat in hands, nervously palming it back and forth as he walked.

Alex turned and stared at him. "Will you stop fidgeting," she said with annoyance.

Darien took the hat and put it snuggly on his head. "Happy," he said sarcastically.

"Very," she said.

They continued to walk another five minutes when they spotted a large cabin in the distant brush.

"Okay, here we are," said Alex as she reached into her pockets and pulled out the microphones, earpieces and the video receiver. She stuck one of the earpieces in Darien's ear and pinned one of the microphones to his jacket. Then she took the other earpiece and microphone and did the same thing to herself.

While Alex was doing this, Darien pulled out the walkie talkie. "Earth to Keepie, earth to Keepie, come in," he whispered softly into the device. 

A staticky "Darien?" came back over the walkie talkie. "Yeah, Keep, were just approaching the cabin. Just wanted to give you an update."

"Be careful," came Claire's voice over the walkie talkie.

"Always," said Darien. "Dirty Harry, signing off, over and out." He could almost picture Claire rolling her eyes at that one.

"Okay, we're ready. I'm going to be right over there," said Alex, pointing to a large bush sitting at the foot of a tree.

Darien nodded. "Gotcha Lexi," he said as he tucked the walkie talkie back in his pocket and adjusted his earpiece.

"Oh you are not even gonna start calling me that," said Alex with irritation.

Darien shrugged. "We'll see," he said as he quicksilvered out of sight. He saw Alex make her way over to the bush and do her own little disappearing act. He quickly started to walk towards the cabin. "Testing, testing, Fawkesy to Lexi, come in," whispered Darien softly into his microphone.

"Enough Fawkes," said Alex into her own microphone. 

Darien walked closer to the cabin. He spotted two trucks parked in front. Several men were loading wooden crates into them. "You getting this, Monroe?" whispered Darien into the microphone.

"Oh yeah, right here in Technicolor," replied Alex as she watched the video receiver. "Get a little closer. Try and get some video of the guns."

"Yes ma'am," replied Darien. He turned his steady walk into a slow jog as he approached the cabin. He was so careful trying to avoid all the branches and holes in the ground that he didn't see a small wire that was stretched across the ground. He tripped and landed heavily with a loud "oomph", effectively knocking the quicksilver off his body and the turtle hat off his head, cutting the video feed to Alex. An alarm immediately started to sound. The men near the trucks looked over and spotted him.

"Hey guys," he waved, trying to talk his way out of this situation. The men responded by drawing their guns. "Aw crap," said Darien into his microphone.

"Fawkes, Fawkes, what the hell happened?" asked Alex urgently.

"I think I just got us both in big trouble," said Darien as he quickly got up and quicksilvered himself. The men from the trucks were running towards him, guns blazing. One of them fired just as Darien quicksilvered and he could feel the bullet whiz by his head. "Run, Monroe, run," yelled Darien into his mike.

Alex stood up from her position behind the bush and saw men running in her direction. One of them spotted her and started shooting. "Fawkes, where are you? I don't want to hit you," said Alex into her mike. 

"Ahhhhh," was all she heard in response.

"Fawkes where are you?" yelled Alex into the mike.

"Right here," she heard him say as he unquicksilvered on the ground next to her. She looked at him and noticed blood slowly starting to stain an area over his left side.

"Oh god," she said as she looked at his wound. His eyes started to flutter and his face grew very pale. "No, no, you don't," said Alex as she slapped him lightly on the face, forcing him to open his eyes and focus. She took his face in her hands and made him concentrate on her. "We have to get out of here," she said. She took his arm and started to pull him to a standing position. 

"Ow," he moaned with a hiss. "I can't, Monroe," he said breathlessly.

More bullets started flying their way.

"This is not the time to argue Fawkes," said Alex as she started to drag him away from the bush. She turned around and shot off a few rounds at the men who were rapidly approaching.

"Run, Darien, we have to run," shouted Alex, picking up the pace. Darien was forced to keep up with her because he was too weak to resist the pull from her arm. He tried to quicksilver himself, but found that he couldn't concentrate.

"Crap, I can't quicksilver," he whispered.

Alex continued to drag him through the woods. "No time, just run."

Darien put all his energy into trying to keep up the pace. The pair was actually getting pretty far from the gun dealers.

They continued to walk/jog for another 20 minutes through the light brush of the woods. Alex had no idea where they were, all she knew was that they needed to get the hell away from the cabin. 

The farther and longer they walked, the weaker Darien felt. Alex could feel him start to sway out of her grip. She grabbed his arm and put it over her shoulder, holding onto him tightly, urging him on.

Darien could hardly walk on his own anymore. His head was swimming badly, he was incredibly hot and flushed, and his side felt like someone was setting off tiny explosions in time with his heart beat. "Alex," he pleaded weakly. "Please stop. I have to stop."

Alex pulled him tighter against her. "Just a little farther, Fawkes. You're doing good," she said, trying to encourage him.

Darien struggled to walk for another five steps and then abruptly stopped, swaying momentarily and then falling to the ground, taking Alex with him. 

"Okay, okay, easy Darien. We have to get out of sight," said Alex as she crawled next to him. She pointed to a brushy area a few feet away. "Come on," she said as she started to drag him.

Darien moaned in pain, but tried his best to help her get him over to the brush. His rapidly dwindling strength caught up with him however, and by the time they reached the brush he was completely unconscious

Alex rolled his body so he was lying on his uninjured side Then she pushed his jacket aside and pulled up his shirt to look at his wound.

What she saw didn't make her happy. The bullet had gone in through his lower back and come out through his front side. The exit wound had left a huge hole in the front that was bleeding like crazy. She was surprised he had gotten as far as he had. Although she was no doctor, she had enough experience with gunshots wounds that told her no major internal organs had been hit. That basically left a lot of blood and a lot of pain for Darien.

Alex took her jacket off and rolled Darien flat on his back, setting the jacket underneath the entrance wound. Then she wrapped part of the jacket around his body and pressed it firmly against his wounded side, eliciting a soft groan out of the still unconscious Darien.

Holding the jacket with one hand, she reached into Darien's jacket pockets with the other hand, searching for the walkie talkie Claire had insisted that they bring. She came up empty. "Damn it," she said in frustration. He must have lost it at the cabin.

A sudden thought flashed through her head. She reached for Darien's wrist, checking his tattoo. Only four segments were red. Thank god for small favors, she thought.

Alex continued to sit next to Darien, firmly pressing the jacket against his wounded side, wondering what the hell she was going to do next.

"Keepie to Kirk, Keepie to Kirk, come in," said Claire trying to calm herself down with the silly tone. She knew it was no use. She had been trying to get in touch with Darien for over an hour, ever since she had heard the faint echoes of gunshots in the distance. She hoped he was okay. As much as she hated to admit it, she hoped that Alex was okay too.

She had tried to dial up the Agency on a cheap cell phone the Official had stuck in one of the bags, but she had gotten no signal. They were screwed and stuck in the woods.

She had determined that going back to the SUV was pointless because Darien had the keys and Claire had no idea how to hot wire a car. So she had decided to leave their little campsite and go in search of Darien and Alex. It probably wasn't safe to be at the campsite anyway and she just had a hunch that one of them was hurt. Probably Darien, she thought, since the guy couldn't seem to go a day without getting the crap beat out of him.

She walked slowly and carefully through the woods, clutching her medical bag tightly in one hand and her gun in the other. She searched through every nook and cranny, hoping to find them. She didn't dare scream their names in case the gun runners were in the forest looking for them. She continued to walk through the woods, praying she would find them and that they were safe.

Alex immediately walked over to Darien when she heard a soft groan escape his lips. She had been walking around the area trying to figure out where the hell they were. She could hear the gun dealers in the far off distance and she wanted to get Darien out of there as soon as she could.

She kneeled down to him, shaking his arm slightly. "Fawkes, wake up, come on," she said firmly. Darien's eyes fluttered open and he looked up at her with confusion.

"You were doing invisible recon at the cabin and you got shot, remember?" she replied to his questioning expression.

He nodded slowly, remembering. He felt sick, really sick. He really wanted to throw up, but he really didn't want to do it in front of Alex. He had a feeling she would never let him hear the end of it.

Alex started to pull on his shoulders. "We have to get out of here, Darien. Their looking for us and their getting closer," she said.

Darien shook his head violently. He swallowed several times, pushing bile down back into his throat. Couldn't she see that he was struggling very hard not to throw up all over her leather boots? Her pulling him around was not helping matters any.

"Come on, Darien, we have to move," she said, gently pulling him into a sitting position.

That did it. He managed to throw up all over Alex's shoes, missing his own body entirely. The vomiting hurt his side terribly, forcing his head back down on the ground. He lay panting on the ground, clutching his side and feeling miserable. He looked up at Alex with the puppy dog eyes. "Sorry," he said.

Alex shook her head and tried to wipe her shoes against the ground. "Oh don't worry Fawkes, when this is over, I will get you back for that," she said.

He nodded weakly. "That's what scares me," he said as he closed his eyes, his face etched with pain.

"Oh no you don't," she said as she lightly slapped him.

Darien opened his eyes with a whimper. "Just leave me here. I can't move Monroe. All I want to do is curl up and die," he replied helplessly.

Alex rolled her eyes and once again pulled him into a sitting position. "Now how would I tell Hobbes that I left his partner by himself in the woods to die? He would never forgive me. We have to get out of here and find Claire," she said. "Come on," she said firmly as she started to pull him up.

"Okay, okay," yelled Darien in a weak voice. "Just give me a second," he said as he removed the jacket from his waist and replaced it with his hand. "I guess I owe you a new jacket too," he said, holding up the jacket.

"I'll let that one slide if you get up," said Alex.

Darien slowly pushed himself off the ground, clutching his side with his left hand the whole time. "Okay, I'm up, now what?" he said.

"Let's go," she said as she put his arm around her.

"Go where?" he asked with concern. "Do you even know where we are?"

"That doesn't matter right now. All that matters is that we get as far away from the bad guys as possible," she said as they slowly started to walk through the woods.

Darien only nodded, too tired and hurt to argue. He had never felt this awful in his entire life.

Alex could tell how hard he was struggling. She could feel the heat coming off his body, probably from an infection. His grip on her was really weak and she could hear his soft but steady moans and groans as they made further progress. 

"Can we stop and rest?" he gasped out a few minutes later.

Alex shook her head and grabbed onto him tighter. "Not now, later," she said as she dragged him.

"You're really enjoying this, aren't you?" he responded weakly. "I mean you're in the driver's seat and I have no choice, but to do what you say."

"I just want to get you out of here, Fawkes. Just because I'm not coddling you every four seconds, doesn't mean I like seeing you hurt," she said.

The pair was silent for a few minutes as they continued to walk. Darien broke the silence. "Hey Alex," he said softly.

"Yeah," she said, looking up at him.

"What's your son's name?" he asked simply.

A serious expression drifted across Alex's face. "Billy," she said quickly.

Darien nodded in approval. "Billy Monroe, that's nice," he said.

"I know it is," she said coldly.

Darien sighed heavily. "Why do you do that?" he asked with frustration.

"Do what?" she asked with confusion.

"Why are you always so cold to me?" he asked.

Alex shook her head. "I'm not cold, Fawkes."

Darien laughed slightly. "Oh yeah you are. Admit it, Alex, you've hated me since the first day we met. You think I'm just this con running through the streets turning invisible and wasting the valuable tax payers money," he said with agitation.

"That's not true, Darien," she replied with seriousness.

"Oh yeah it is," he replied. "You don't trust me and you think I'm this piece of crap walking around, getting in the way. You trust Hobbes, but not me. Why?"

She stopped walking for a second and looked up at him. "Can you honestly tell me that if someone dangled some criminal scheme in front of your face that would get you out of the Agency, that you wouldn't take it in a second? You're a criminal, Fawkes and you always will be," she said firmly.

"That's not fair, Monroe. I didn't have a choice in being here," he said softly in a pain filled voice. "What gives you the right to pass freakin judgement on me anyway? Who the hell are you? May I remind you that the first day we met I spent the whole frelling day searching for your son. But I guess that doesn't count for anything because I'm a criminal with an evil nature," he said, in a slightly hurt tone. "Yeah, I bet you just love seeing me go quicksilver mad because then I'm that person that you so desperately want me to be."

Alex shook her head, agitated. "This is stupid, Darien. All I'm saying is that under certain circumstances, I don't trust you, okay. Maybe that's being paranoid on my part, but that's how I feel," Alex said in frustration. "But I do trust you with my life and with Bobby's life," she said softly. "I know you would die to save either one us because that's just the kind of guy you are, even though you don't like to admit it. You've got a big heart, Darien. I mean trying to get my son back, trying to save Adam, believing so completely in Bobby when he went postal," she said with sincerity.

"You know Monroe, I think those CTS skills are really coming in handy right now," said Darien weakly.

Alex laughed softly. "I'm not playing you, Darien. I know you have it tough. I never understood what it was like for you until I saw you go quicksilver mad at Gilliam's house. You were just lying there, red eyes, breathing hard, looking nothing like the Darien I know. To be honest, you scared the hell out of me and I don't scare so easily."

"Yeah, but you really enjoyed kicking my ass," said Darien.

"Hey, you let me kick your ass, my friend. You could have taken me down with no problem, but you didn't because you wouldn't let yourself. I admire that," she said.

He looked down at her, trying to read the expression on her face. Unless she was really, really good, her look was one of genuine admiration. "Thanks," he said softly.

"Yeah, yeah," said Alex rolling her eyes. "Don't let all this bonding go to your head. In about two minutes, you'll say something that'll piss me off and I'll go back to hating you."

"Oh I don't doubt that for a second," said Darien with a small smile.

They continued to struggle through the woods, as silence once again fell between the two.

Claire eyed her watch as she drudged through the woods. Seven o'clock. It was going to be dark soon and she still hadn't found Darien or Alex. At this point, she was beyond worried, she was down right scared. 

Every once in a while, she would hear the echoes of men's voices through the forest. Probably, the gun dealers, she thought. That actually made her feel better. Perhaps, Darien and Alex had gotten away from them.

She continued to walk slowly, carefully looking around. She heard a sudden rustle from about 20 feet away. She quickly hid behind a tree, her gun out and ready to fire. Then she heard an all too familiar moan and a female voice firmly yelling, "We have to keep moving."

Claire dashed out from behind the tree, running towards the voices. "Darien, Alex, it's Claire, don't shoot," she said. She spotted them and picked up her pace.

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

Three's a Crowd Part 3

Three's a Crowd Part 3  
By Carol M.  
  
See first part for notes and disclaimers.  
Special note to Darien: I'm sorry baby, but you are going to be hurting during this part and I apologize. Fortunately you're going to have two hot chicks cooing over you, if that helps J  
  
"Alex, it's Claire," said Darien as he pointed to a figure running towards them. He almost started to sob in relief. Claire always made him feel better when he was hurt and even though he knew Alex was trying her best to be gentle, she wasn't doing a great job.  
Darien could see Claire's face fall as she neared them. She immediately ran up to him and softly touched his wound. "Oh my god, Darien," she said. "We have to get him on the ground," she said firmly as she took Darien's arm and gently lowered him to the ground with Alex's help.  
"Oh Darien," she said as she gently felt his forehead. "He's burning up," she said with concern.  
Alex kneeled down next to Claire, eyeing Darien. "What do you need me to do?" she asked.   
Claire pointed to her medical bag, which she had dropped on the ground. "Get some bandages, disinfectant, tissues and tape out of my bag," she said as she lifted up Darien's shirt and looked at his wound. She winced in sympathy. The wound was an angry red color, seeming to pulse with every beat of his heart. He was on his way to getting one bloody hell of an infection.  
Darien looked up at her through scared, pain filled eyes. "How is it, Keep?" he asked softly.  
She tried to smile to ease his fears. She took his hand and rubbed it gently. "You're going to be fine, Darien. I just need to clean it and then wrap it up. Just try and relax, okay. This is probably going to hurt," she said.  
"Well that's nothing new," he said sarcastically.   
Claire smiled for real this time, glad that he still had his smart ass sense of humor.  
"Here, Claire," said Alex as she handed her the requested medical supplies.   
Claire took the supplies and set the tape and bandages on the ground. Then she took one of the tissues and poured the disinfectant on it. She looked at Darien with hesitation. "Sorry for this, Darien," she said gently.  
"'S okay, just do it," he said, fear and hesitation evident in his voice.  
"Okay," she said as she gently pressed the tissue against his wound. Darien's face instantly clenched in pain and a loud hiss escaped from his mouth. Alex took a step back from the pair, looking away.  
"Easy, easy," Claire said as she poured a little more disinfectant on the wound. Darien started to pant in pain. "Almost done," she said as she finished cleaning the wound on his front and turned him slightly to get to work on his back. She wiped at the other wound gently, trying to ignore the small tremors of pain that were coursing through him.   
"Okay, done with cleaning, now I just need to bandage it," she said a few seconds later. She reached for the tape and bandages. She took one bandage and pressed it lightly against the front wound, taping it against his skin. Then she took another bandage and did the same thing on his back. "Okay, I'm all done," she said as she looked up at Darien's face, noticing a few stray tears trickling down his cheeks. Her stomach started to clench, knowing that she had put those tears there. She put his shirt back down and gently started to rub his arm. "I'm sorry, Darien," she said softly, feeling terrible for causing him more pain.  
He looked at her and gave her a weak smile. "Don't be Keep, it's your job," he whispered. He shifted slightly. "Gonna sleep for awhile," he mumbled as his eyes closed and he drifted into unconsciousness.  
Claire looked up at Alex. "Can you get the water bottle out of my bag?" she asked.  
Alex silently nodded and went over to Claire's bag, pulling out the water. She handed it to Claire.  
"Thanks," said Claire absently as she opened up the water bottle and poured some on another tissue. She took the damp tissue and started gently wiping Darien's hot, feverish forehead.   
"How is he?" asked Alex, as she kneeled down next to them.  
Claire shook her head. "Not good. He's got a high fever and signs of an infection. If we don't get him out of here soon, he could die," she said grimly. She finished wiping his forehead and then tenderly started to stroke his hair. "If he hadn't been dragged all over the woods, he might be doing better," Claire said softly, eyeing Alex.  
Alex immediately stood up, crossing her arms over her chest. "What was I supposed to do? Palm's guys were coming after us, shooting. I couldn't just leave him there. I've got news for you Claire, those guys are still out there looking for us. If we don't keep moving, then we're all going to die," she said with anger.  
"You mean you're going to die," said Claire. "You don't care about me and you certainly don't care about Darien. To you, we're just tools you can use to complete your agenda. You just use people and throw them aside, you don't care about who you hurt."  
Alex laughed slightly. "Don't go getting all noble on me, Claire. You hurt and manipulate just as much as I do. You hold that counteragent over Fawkes' head, taunting him every six days. How long was it before you finally taught Bobby how to give him the shots, huh? You get off on having power over Fawkes. And let's face it Claire, if this was the real world, we both know you would have no power over a man like Darien," said Alex smugly.  
Claire was absolutely fuming. "It is my job to keep Darien safe. It's not pleasant what I have to do to him sometimes, but it is necessary. If I gave him counteragent every time he wanted it, then he would have built up a tolerance to it already. And where would that leave Darien? I'm doing my best to figure out how to get that gland out of his head and in the mean time, I'm trying my hardest to keep him comfortable," said Claire as tears of anger and fear started to fall from her eyes.   
She looked down at Darien and saw all the blood that stained his shirt and jacket. She glanced at his face, his forehead crinkled up in pain. She put her face in her hands and sighed heavily. "I don't want him to die, Alex," she said softly.  
Alex slowly walked over to Claire and sat down next to her, awkwardly patting her on the back. "I don't either," she said.  
"What are we going to do?" asked Claire, removing her hands from her face and looking at Alex.  
Alex looked at Claire sharply. "I'm going to find my way out of here and get back to the SUV. Hopefully, Palm's guys haven't destroyed it yet," she said. Alex reached into Darien's pants pocket and pulled out the keys to the car.  
Claire sighed with worry. "Alex is this such a good idea, splitting up like this?"  
"What other choice do we have?" asked Alex as she looked at Darien's pale form. "Just keep him alive 'til I get back, okay?"  
Claire nodded and Alex walked off.  
  
Bobby Hobbes was bored out of his mind. He had been sitting in the van for twelve hours, doing surveillance on Roundling. The most interesting thing the guy had done all day was picking up his laundry.  
He sighed heavily and leaned back in his seat. Bet Darien's having a ball right now, thought Bobby. He was just getting into an interesting little fantasy involving Claire, Alex and some whip cream when Roundling's phone rang. Bobby instantly grabbed his little mini satellite device to listen to the conversation.  
"Roundling,"  
"Yeah, Roundling, we got a little problem up here. There's not going to be a new shipment tonight," said a voice on the other line.  
Roundling sounded agitated. "What kind of problem?"  
"Well we got some folks up here poking their noses where they don't belong. Three of them. We think they might be government agents or something. Found some papers in the glove compartment of their truck. If they are Feds, we don't want any heat on us," said the voice.  
Roundling sighed heavily. "Fine. Keep me posted and let me know the second those guns are ready for delivery."  
"Will do," said the voice.  
The connection ended.  
Bobby instantly reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. He dialed the number for the Agency. "Come on you fat bastard, pick up,"  
"Excuse me," he heard the Official say on the other line.  
Bobby flinched. "Oh, sir, hi this is Hobbes. Um, have you heard from Fawkes or Monroe or the Keep today?" he asked.  
"Nope, not one word. There not due to check in until tomorrow," said the Official dryly.  
"Sir, I'm getting a bad feeling. Some guy just called Roundling and said that the shipment was off because some Feds were poking around. I think maybe I should go up there and check it out," said Bobby.  
The Official cleared his throat. "Absolutely not. You stay put. Monroe and Fawkes can handle things. I don't want to blow this whole case because of your paranoia."  
"Yeah, but sir..."  
"Stay put. That's an order," said the Official, hanging up on his end of the line.  
"Damn," said Bobby as he threw his cell phone on the seat next to him. He looked at Roundling's house for a few seconds. He was getting a very bad feeling.  
After another minute of sitting behind the wheel, Bobby gunned the engine of the van to life. He drove away from Roundling's house and made his way towards the direction of the freeway, trying to remember exactly where that his partner was at cabin was.  
"Fawkes, if I'm wrong about this, I'm going to kill you," said Bobby to himself as he made his way onto the freeway.  
  
  
"We're screwed," said Alex as she jogged towards Claire. She had finally found her way back onto the path after several wrong turns and had gotten back to the SUV. All the tires were blown out and the engine had been ripped apart. "The SUV is a mess, no way we can drive. And there's no one else out here to help us, only the gun runners, and there coming right towards us," said Alex. "They're going to be here any second. We have to move him."  
Darien, who had woken up a few minutes earlier, shook his head. "No way, Lexi," he said hoarsely.  
Claire nodded. "He's right. If we move him then his wound might start bleeding again," she said.  
They all jumped when they heard rustling in the woods.  
"That's them, what the hell are we going to do?" asked Alex with a trace of panic in her voice.  
"Well I think I hear my name being called," said Darien softly on the ground. "Gather round girls and grab onto me," he said.  
Claire looked at him with concern. "Are you sure about this, Darien?" she asked.  
Darien shook his head. "No," he said. "But we don't really have much of a choice now, do we," he said.  
"Okay," said Claire, sounding very unsure. She grabbed her medical bag and slung it over her arm. Then she sat down next to Darien, rolling him onto his uninjured side. She laid down and spooned him from the back, wrapping her arms around him. Alex followed suit and laid down on the other side of Darien, taking his hand in hers.  
They could hear the gun runners rapidly approaching. "Now Fawkes," said Alex urgently.  
Darien took a deep breath, channeling all of his energy into speeding up his heartbeat. "Here we go," he said as the quicksilver slowly coated all three of their bodies and the medical bag.  
Darien instantly regretted quicksilvering all of them. His increased heartbeat was making his bullet wound throb with agony. Every pore of his body started to ache with the pain. It took all of his power to keep the quicksilver flowing.  
The men approached, talking softly, looking around. "There around here somewhere," said the man who had talked to them earlier at the campsite. "The blood trail leads right here," he said, pointing to the ground.  
"Well where the hell could they have gone? It's not like they just disappeared into thin air," said another man.  
Claire probably would have laughed at that comment if their situation had not been so dire. As it was, she was feeling awful for Darien at this point. She looked up at his face and saw that his eyes were tightly closed, tortured agony spread across his face. Sweat mixed with tears ran down his cheeks, leaving the collar of his shirt soaked. She wrapped her arms tightly across him, flinching when she heard soft whimpers start to escape from his lips. This had to be killing him.   
Claire started to rub his chest softly with one hand and the back of his neck with her other hand, trying to do something to make him feel better. The men continued to stand and talk practically right on top of them. As the minutes went on, she could feel Darien struggle more and more. She could feel his chest heaving for gasps of breath. Small tremors of pain were working there way across his chest and into his stomach. His whimpers grew louder with every passing second, threatening to reveal their location.  
Even Alex was concerned about Darien. She had never seen him hurting this bad before and felt horrible for him. She took the hand that she was holding and started to caress it gently, joining Claire in her mission of trying to ease his pain.  
For ten minutes, the trio lay on the ground invisible, while the men discussed their situation. Finally, the men walked out of the area. Instantly the quicksilver was shed.   
"Darien," said Claire with tears in her eyes, as she leaned over him and looked in his eyes.  
Darien looked at her with his eyes half closed, completely wiped out from the pain.   
"I'm sorry, Darien, I'm so sorry," cried Claire as she ran her hand gently along his face. She reached down and looked at his wrist. Six out of nine segments red. "I'm going to give you a shot, okay," she whispered softly into his ear. Darien nodded slightly.  
Claire reached into her bag and pulled out the syringe of counteragent. She took out an alcohol wipe and gently rubbed it over the crook of his right elbow. Then she carefully injected the counteragent into his arm. He flinched for a second and then relaxed.   
"Maybe you should give him some water, Claire," said Alex, who was pacing back and forth, not really sure what to do.   
Claire nodded and looked at Darien. "Are you thirsty, Darien?" she asked.  
"Yeah," he whispered.  
Claire reached into the bag and pulled out the water bottle. She took off the cap and then gently lifted Darien's neck slightly off the ground. She placed the bottle to his lips and let him have a few swallows. When he was done, she lowered him back to the ground and put the bottle back in her bag.  
"Is there anything I can do for you?" she asked him as she took his hand and started rubbing it.  
He opened his eyes and gave her a small smile. "I'm not even going to touch that one, Keep," he whispered so softly she had to bend down to her it.   
She smiled and hit him playfully on the shoulder. "Always the smart ass," she said, grateful for being able to smile.  
"That's how you like me," he responded.   
"Seriously though, is there anything I can do for you," she asked again.  
"I'm kind of cold," he responded.  
Claire instantly took her jacket off and draped it over him. Then she gently pulled him into her lap and started rubbing his arms and his chest, trying to warm him up. After a few minutes, she simply leaned down and pressed her own body against his, holding him tightly in her arms. She could feel him start to relax and after a few minutes he was asleep.  
Alex stopped her pacing and sat down next to them. "You know Claire, you would be a really great mother," she said softly. She looked at Darien draped in Claire's arms. "Actually, I guess you already are a good mother."  
Claire looked at Alex and smiled. "Thanks. I'm sure you are a good mother too," she said gently.  
Alex nodded. " You know, I'm going to get my son back," she said matter of factly. "I have to. He's all I have," she said, looking away as tears started to pool in her eyes.  
"That's not true, Alex," said Claire.  
Alex turned and looked back at Claire. "Come on, Claire. Who else do I have? You and me aren't exactly best friends and Bobby and Darien both just tolerate me as a third wheel. You guys could care less about me."  
"Well, if you let us all in, maybe we could be friends," suggested Claire. "You know when me and Darien first met, he hated me and I hated him. It took a long time for us to become friends," said Claire looking down at Darien who lay silently in her lap. "But it was worth it," she said as she leaned down and gently kissed him on the forehead.  
Alex smiled. "Too bad he wasn't awake for that. I'm sure he would have enjoyed it. I know Bobby would be jealous."  
Claire laughed slightly and rolled her eyes.  
Silence fell between the two women as nightfall slowly started to sweep through the forest.  
  
"Oh this is not good, this is not good at all, my friends," said Bobby to no one in particular as he surveyed the heavily damaged SUV.  
He pondered reaching into his pocket for his cell phone to call the Official, but decided against it. Back up might just get his three comrades killed if they were being held hostage.  
Bobby reached into his van and picked up a few spare clips for his gun, putting them in his jacket pockets. He pulled a flashlight out of the back of the van and then quickly started walking down the path to search for his friends, hoping he wasn't too late.  
  
TBC  



	4. Chapter 4

"Kevin, no," moaned Darien in a feverish sleep

"Kevin, no," moaned Darien in a feverish sleep. He had been having nightmares for the past hour, raving softly about Kevin, Arnaud, Chrysalis and Claire and Bobby.

Claire rubbed his cheek as small sobs came out of his mouth. "It's okay, Darien, it's okay," she whispered soothingly, still holding him in her arms.

Alex busied herself with changing Darien's bandages, on Claire's request. She was glad for the distraction, not really knowing what to do with herself. She wasn't used to feeling so helpless.

Darien opened his eyes with a soft moan. He looked up at Claire with distant, feverish eyes. "Claire," he whispered somewhat dreamily.

"Are you okay?" she asked softly.

"Oh yeah, I'm fine, Kevin took the gland out. It only hurt a little bit," he replied. 

Alex looked at Claire with concern.

"He's out of it from the infection and the fever," whispered Claire to her look.

Darien reached up with his hand and touched Claire's hair. "You're so pretty, Claire," he said with a dreamy smile. "Did I ever tell you how much I love you?" he asked with wide eyes.

Claire flushed a deep red. 

Alex chuckled. "First Bobby and now Darien," she said.

Claire gave her a confused look.

"Never mind," said Alex quickly.

"Keepie, let's go to Vegas and get married. Hobbes can be the best man," slurred Darien as his eyes once again closed. Within seconds, he was snoring softly.

"Well that was interesting," said Alex with a smile.

Claire tried not to look impressed. "He was just hallucinating, that's all."

"Sure he was," said Alex.

Claire scoffed. "Alex, really."

"I think someone has a crush," Alex replied.

"I do not," said Claire.

Alex gave her a surprised look. "I was talking about Darien."

"Oh," said Claire quickly. She looked up at Alex with apprehension. "You're not going to tell anyone about this, are you?"

"Of course not," said Alex smugly.

"Alex," said Claire sharply.

"Fine, you're secret is safe with me," she said.

That's what scared Claire.

Bobby made his way silently around the cabin, looking for any sign of Darien, Alex or the Keep. All he was seeing through the windows was piles of guns. Well, it looked like they had plenty of proof to arrest these guys. Unfortunately, Bobby couldn't take on 10 guys by himself. Okay, that wasn't true. Bobby Hobbes could take on a hundred guys and come out with nothing but a scratch, but at this point, arresting Palms and his friends was the furthest thing from Bobby's mind. He had spotted a few drops of blood on the ground near the cabin and he was getting very scared. Somehow, he just knew that was his partner's blood. He didn't know how he knew, but he could just feel it.

With practiced cat-like steps, Bobby walked away from the cabin to try and make his way down another trail, trying to sense where Darien was.

"Come on, partner, give me a sign, buddy," whispered Bobby softly to himself.

He ran his flashlight over the ground and saw another spot of blood. Okay, this really wasn't the kind of sign Bobby wanted from his partner, but it would have to do. He continued through the forest, following the drops of blood that he desperately hoped was not his partner's. But somehow, he didn't think his partner was so lucky.

The tears were running hard and heavy down Claire's cheeks. 

Alex sat next to her with tears trickling out of her own eyes, a supportive hand on Claire's shoulder and another hand on Darien's shoulder. She looked down at Darien's lifeless face. He hadn't stirred in two hours and he had grown incredibly still. He was still alive, but for how much longer she couldn't say.

Claire was a wreck. She could literally feel the life drifting out of Darien. She kept her hand on his chest just to assure herself that he was still breathing. He was, but his breath was incredibly shallow. His pulse was also faint. She ran her hand over his cheek, caressing him softly. He didn't deserve to die like this. He hadn't suffered as much as he had over the past year to die of a gunshot wound in the forest. It just wasn't fair. Then again, the gods had never really been fair to Darien.

"Is there anything..." asked Alex, trailing off. She knew the answer. Darien was going to die.

Claire looked at her with sad eyes. "I think all we can do for him now is just let him know that we're here, to let him know that he's not alone," she said as she ran her fingers through his soft hair.

Alex nodded. She took Darien's hand and held it tightly between her own two hands, letting him know that she was there with him too.

"Oh this is a pretty picture. Leave it to my partner to be unconscious while two beautiful women caress him," said Bobby as he stepped towards them.

Claire and Alex both jumped.

"Bobby! Oh my god!" yelled Claire with excitement.

Bobby walked to where Claire was cradling Darien and leaned down next to them. He shined his flashlight over Darien and saw the wound. "Fawkes," he said softly. He looked at Claire with fear in his eyes. "Is he dead?" he asked.

Claire shook her head and she gently rolled Darien off of her. "Not yet, but he will be if he doesn't get out of here," she said.

Alex looked at Bobby with amazement. "How did you find us? I mean how did you even know we needed help?" she asked incredulously.

"It's a little trick I do. Let's just say I have a sixth sense when it comes to my partner," he replied. He knelt down next to his partner, taking his hand. "Hold on, buddy, just hang on," he whispered softly in Darien's ear.

"Where's the van?" asked Claire.

Bobby pointed to his right. "Down the path. I can't drive the van through the forest; there's too many trees. I'm going to have to carry him," said Bobby.

"Okay, let's get out of here," said Claire eagerly as she gathered her medical supplies and put them in her bag.

Bobby reached under Darien and gently picked him up, cradling him in his arms. Darien didn't even stir. "It's a good thing you're a light weight, my friend," said Bobby as he easily held Darien in his arms. He could feel the dampness from Darien's clothes and skin start to soak through his own clothes. Damn, he hated seeing his partner so helpless.

"You got him okay, Bobby?" asked Alex, when she saw Bobby's pained expression.

Bobby nodded. "I got him, let's go."

The walked for about forty-five minutes before they reached the van. Bobby's back was killing him from carrying Darien, but he could have cared less. He would've walked a hundred miles with his partner in his arms if it meant Darien would live.

He eased him into the back of the van. "Easy pal," he said soothingly. Claire took a seat next to Darien and held his hand. Alex joined Bobby in the front seat. Bobby gunned the van into life and drove off, leaving a pile of dust evident in the dark night.

Bobby and Claire sat on both sides of Darien's bed, waiting patiently for him to wake up. They had gotten him to a hospital in the nick of time. The doctors had pumped some much needed blood and antibiotics into his system, effectively saving his life. Darien had since been moved to lab 3 of the Keep, where Claire could keep a close eye over him.

Darien's head moved slightly and a small moan worked its way out of his throat.

Bobby took his hand. "That's it, D. Show us those baby browns," he said.

Darien's eyes fluttered and then opened, trying to focus. He eyed Bobby. "Baby browns?" he whispered sarcastically.

"Smart ass," replied Bobby. "It's good to have you back, pal."

Darien looked at him with confusion. He turned his head and saw Claire on his other side. "How did we get out?" he rasped.

Claire pointed to Bobby. "Bobby found us. He carried you all the way to the van and then we took you to a hospital," she said with a smile.

Darien raised his eyebrows, looking at Bobby. "You carried me?" he asked with disbelief.

"Oh sure, beanpole like you, it was no problem," said Bobby.

Darien slowly pulled his hand out from under the sheets and eyed Bobby intensely. "Thanks, partner," he whispered.

Bobby slapped his hand. "I would do it again, my friend," he said. He looked over at Claire and then back down at Darien. "Well I'm going to let you rest, Fawkes. I'll come see you later and sneak in a taco from Poncho's Taco Shop for ya. God knows what the Keep's going to feed you here," he said with a smile, as he slowly walked out of the lab. "Catcha later, Keepie," he said as he walked out the door.

Claire laughed and waved goodbye to Bobby. Then she turned back to Darien and put a supportive hand on his shoulder. "How are you feeling?" she asked gently.

"Tired," he said. He looked up at her and his lips curled into a smile. "Thanks to you too. And Alex," he said. He looked around the room. "Where is Alex, by the way?" he asked with curiosity.

"Oh, she's up at the cabin, she sends her love. The Agency sent a SWAT team and busted up the whole gun ring based on the evidence Alex got on camera and the evidence Bobby saw when he was looking through the cabin, trying to find us. As soon as you're able, you're going to identify the guy who shot you and he will be charged with attempted murder," said Claire with satisfaction.

Darien nodded. His eyes started to droop. 

"I'll leave you rest," said Claire as she started to get out of her chair.

He eyes shot open. "No," he whispered urgently, grabbing her hand. He looked up at her with his hurt puppy look. "Stay with me," he said softly. "It was nice to be held in your arms," he added sheepishly.

Claire smiled. "Well, it's all part of the Keeper's service," she said.

He smiled for a minute and then a look of anguish passed over his face.

Claire touched his chest softly. "What's wrong?"

Darien shook his head. "No....I just.... I had these nightmares, I don't know. I kind of remember them and I kind of don't. They just...I don't know..." he whispered.

"They just kind of scared you?" she asked.

He nodded.

"I know. You were ranting and raving out there," she said.

He looked up at with slight panic. "I didn't say anything embarrassing, did I?" he asked.

Claire shook her head. "Hardly anything at all," she said with a smile. "Now get some sleep. I'll be right here when you wake up," she said softly.

Darien did what he was told and closed his eyes. Within seconds, he was asleep.

Claire looked at his peaceful face and sighed happily to herself. Oh, if only you knew what you said out there, Darien, if only you knew.

That's All Folks!


End file.
